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(N0 Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. S. PARMELEE & F. GRINNELL.

SYSTEM FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES AUTOMATICALLY.

No. 269,226. Patented Dec. 19, 1882.

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H. S. PARMELEE &v F. GRINNELL.

SYSTEM FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES AUTOMATIGALLY.

No. 269,226. Patented De0. 19, 1882.

WITNESSES: a

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H. S. PARMELEE 8: P. GRINNELL. v SYSTEM FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRES AUTOMATICALLY.

No 269,226. Patented Dec.19, 1882.

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(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

H. S. PARMELBE & F. GRINNELL. SYSTEM FOREXTINGUISHING FIRES AUTOMATICALLY.

No. 269,226. Patented Dec. 19, 1882.

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WITNESSES} 1 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

HENRY S. PARMELEE, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, AND FREDERICK GRINNELL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

SYSTE M FOR EXTINGUISHING FIRE AUTOMATICALLY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,226, dated December 19, 1882 Application filed June 13, 1881. (No model.) I

.T all whom it may concern:

Be .it known that we, HENRY S.PARMELEE, of the city and county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut, and FREDERICK GRIN- NELL, of the city and county of Providence, and State of Ithode Island, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Systems for Extinguishing Fire Automatically; and we hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of the same, reference being to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in such systems for extinguishing fire I5 automatically in which the system of pipes is filled with air under pressure.

The invention consists in providing-such a system with one or more automatic air-pumps, by which the pressure of air in the pipes is maintained and any loss by leakage is supplied, as will be morefully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing the interior of a building provided with a system of main and branch pipes, the ends of which are closed by means of automatic fire-extin guishers. The system of pipes is connected by a pipe with an air-pump driven bya windwheel placed on the top of the building. Fig. 2 is an enlarged View, showing the wind-wheel and the pump connected with and driven by the same. Fig. 3 is a top view, partly in section, of the wind-wheel and the air-pump, showing the connection of the plunger of the pump with the crank on the spindle of the windmill. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of'the interior of a buq'lding provided with a system of automatic fire-extinguishers, showing a hydraulic air-pump constructed to supply air to the system automatically, so as to maintain 0 the required pressure in the same. Fig.5 isa sectional view of. a hydraulic air-pump by means of which air is supplied to a system of pipes automatically and under pressure.

In the drawings, (t represents the water-sup- .5 ply mainpb, the risingmain within the building; 0, the horizontal mains, and d d the automatic fireeextinguishers, constructed to be opened by the action of the heat in case of a fire. Into the main to, or at the bottom of the rising main b, a check-valve is placed, and the whole system of pipes beyond the check-valve is filled with air under more or less pressure by means of the hand-pump e.

In Fig. l the upper portion of the system of pipes is connected by means of the pipef with the pump 9, which is driven by the windmill h, placed on the roof of the building. The pump 9 may be any kind of pump that will force airinto the system of pipes. A simple plungerpump is shown in the drawings. The pump/6o is of small capacity, as it is required only to supply all waste caused by leakage, and therefore the force of the wind is sufficient in most places. To prevent excess of pressure, the relief-valve 'i is place on the pipe f, constructed to relieve any excess of pressure above a fixed point, similar to a safety-valve. v

In places where the use of the windmill is impracticable, and where hydraulic power may be used, I connect with the lower portion of the pipes any kind of hydraulic pumping-engine with which air can be pumped into the system of pipes. Fig.4trepresents one kind of such bydraulic pumping devices attached to the lower portion of the system of pipes. k is a by draulic air-forcing device, shown more fully in Fig. 5, in which I is achainberhavingatits upper portion the check-valve m, controlling the air-inlet, and the check-valve m, controlling the air-outlet, which is connected by means of the pipe at? with the system of pipes. The pipe a is the waterinlet and 0 the water-out let. pis a valve-stem, on each end of which a double or balanced valve is placed, so that the valve will retain any position into which 8 it is placed until such position is changed, as described. The valve-stem is provided with two stops, 1) p, which are operated by the short end of the lever g, on the longer end of which the float-g is secured. This lever and float are shown in solid lines in the position when the water-discharge valve is closed and the water-supply is opened, and in broken lines when the discharge is being opened and the water-supply closed.

The operation is as follows: The device is placed into the lowest portion of the building, where the greatest pressure of water exists, and is connected with thesystem of pipes, the check-valve 1' being placed between the air Ioo and water pipe connecting the device with the system. Now, as long as the air-pressure in the system of pipes is greater or as great as the Water-pressure in the supply-main, the air will keep the valve m closed, and this device can discharge no air and no water can enter; but as soon as by waste or leaks the air-pressure is diminished the water will enter the tank 1, and, filling the same, will expel the air through the valve m and the pipe m into the system of pipes. The float g will rise until the short end ofthe lever y will encounter the lower stop, 1;,when it will change the position of the valves, closing the water-inlet and opening the water-outlet. The waterin the tank Z will be discharged, the valve m will open to admit air until the float g has reached the point where the short end of the lever g will again change the valve, closing the outlet and opening the inlet, when the operation of forcing air into. the system will be repeated, as before described.

We do not wish to confine ourselves to any particular kind of automatic air-pumping device, as many means may be used to pump air into the system to maintain the desired airpressure, a hydraulic and wind-driven device being shown to illustrate how either may be used.

If in a system of automatic fire-extinguishers air is to take the place of water, it is important to maintain the air under pressure, and as nearly as possible at a fixed pressure, so that any diminution of pressure below the minimum will at once open the Water-supply valve and give the alarm, or if desired, allow the water to flow into the system. The waste of air-pressure is not very large, and can be easily supplied by a small pump working part of each day. An automatic device constructed to maintain a fixed pressure saves much care and insures the reliable working of a system of automatic fire-extinguishers in which the system is filled with air under pressure.

We are aware that it is old to supply air to the pipes of a fire-extinguishing system by means of a steam-pump, and we are also aware that it is old to provide such asystem with an air-reservoir from which the air escapes automatically to supply any waste in the system occasioned by leakage, the air-reservoir being supplied by means of an air-pump, and we do not wish to claim either of these arrangements; but we believe we are the first to arrange. in combination with such a system an air-forcing device which not only supplies air automatically to the system but which operates automatically.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as-new and desire to secure by Letters Patent The combination, with a fire-extinguishing system in which the pipes normally contain air under pressure, of an automatic air-forcing device arranged to supply air to the system to maintain a uniform pressure therein, substantially as described.

HENRY S. PARMELEE. FREDERICK GRINNELL.

Witnesses:

' JAMES GARDNER CLARK,

J. A. MILLER, Jr. 

